Book Review of "I am not your perfect Mexican daughter" by Erika Sanchez

 1. Bibliography

Sanchez, E. 2017. I am not your perfect Mexican daughter. Knopf Books for Young

Readers. ISBN: 9781524700485

2. Plot Summary

We grow to know Julia who is 15 and just found out her sister has died in a hit and run

incident. Her sister Olga was the perfect child, quiet and never got into any trouble, not

like Julia who is outspoken and stands up for herself. Julia’s parents Ama and Apa are

trying to show Julia that she needs to think about her choices and be better with her

Mexican culture, but Julia just gets further away and wants to leave as fast as possible.

When Juila continues to investigate her sister’s death, she finds many revealing things

about Olga that she didn’t come to expect. She enters a depression and tries to commit

suicide but is found and taken to the hospital in time to get help. She then goes to

Mexico to try and heal and finds out more truths about her family that help her come to

terms with her culture and roots and can move on and continue in her journey. She leaves

for college and is happy with the opportunity that she is handed.

3. Critical Analysis

In this story we follow Julia, a 15-year-old and she also narrates the story. She is very

opinionated and judgmental but also sensitive at times. As the book title states she is not

the perfect Mexican daughter that her parents expect and want her to be. This causes a

lot of arguments and tension between her and her parents, Ama and Apa. Her parents

immigrated from Mexico before Julia’s sister Olga was born. Olga was quiet and didn’t

cause any problems. Juila eventually starts a relationship with a boy named Connor and

you can see the wealth differences between them. Julia often gets embarrassed and

anxious because of the different socioeconomic statuses. This story is in contemporary

time, and you can see that with the different places that Julia goes to. She lives in

Chicago in a working-class Mexican American neighborhood. The neighborhood is

filled with small stores and a lot of immigrant families. The apartment that their family

lives in is roach infested and rarely has enough food. You can see the hardships the

family has endured. The culture references in this book are typical of a Hispanic family

with family values like respect for parent and elders and the book has some religious

references. There are also traditional foods mentioned in the book like tamales, pozole,

pan dulce and tortas. You can see the battle Julia has between her upbringing in America

and her feelings of being stuck to her traditional Mexican values. When Julia goes to

Mexico you can see the rich cultural experiences like use of the Spanish language and the

rural landscapes. There is a cultural dress reference in the book when they are throwing a

quinceanera and the book talks about girls wearing bright and elaborate dresses with lots

of makeup. In this book you can see the raw emotions that Julia feels and there are metal

health references as well when Julia must visit the hospital to get help. Julia’s character

is very relatable as teenagers now have a hard time navigating their feelings and

emotions. There is cultural hardships that Mexican American immigrants face and this

story can help teenagers in similar situations understand different feelings and help them

overcome.

4. Review Excerpt(s)

“An earnest and heartfelt tale.” —Booklist

“A timely and must-have account of survival in a culturally contested world.” —SLJ,

Starred

"Ultimately, it’s Julia herself who’s the key to the novel... She’ll resonate with many

readers, and they’ll be glad to see her make it through a tough time."; —The Bulletin,

starred review

#1 New York Times Bestseller

National Book Award Finalist

5. Connections

*I would challenge students to write a diary entry from Julia’s parents’ perspective. After

you realize all the hardships they went through, what might they be feeling from their

perspective?

*Other books to read:

-Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena

-Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram